Draft and buffer gearing



Nov. 1936; G, E EDMUNDS 2,060,053

DRAFT AND BUFFER GEARING Filed March 29, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l 62 Z4 47 0 56063 5502251042 0 I g 44 f h w 9 y g j) E ii M 7 60 0 2 3 7/ 342 NOV. 10, 1936. EDMUNDS 2,060,053

DRAFT AND BUFFER GEARING Filed March 29, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 10, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRAFT AND BUFFER GEARING Glenn E. Edmunds, Columbus, Ohio, assignor to The Bouncy-Floyd Company, Columbus, Ohio,

The present invention relates to draft and buffer gearing of general application, the gearing being of the type wherein shock absorbing means serve the dual function of opposing draft and impact forces. According to the invention, however, additional shock absorbing means are provided for the impact forces, these latter being inoperative so far as draft forces are concerned. Still more particularly, the invention relates to an arrangement of the shock absorbing means whereby compactness is enhanced and other advantages are secured as will be understood from the following description of a specific embodiment of the invention as shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a plan view partly broken away of the draft and buifer gearing assembly.

Figure 2 is a face view, with parts broken away of the assembly of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section substantially on line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a section substantially on line 44 of Figure 1, and

Figure 5 is a face view of a draft member.

For the sake of convenience, supporting means for the draft and buffer elements is shown as being in the form of a bracket I attachable to a car end, the gearing being entirely self-contained in the bracket. Bracket I0 comprises parallel top and bottom webs I I and I2, of which the top web is provided with a a forward central recess I3, while the bottom web beneath recess I3 has a downward offset I4. The top and bottom webs are connected at their ends by means of side webs I and I6, which have vertical faces, prolonged into arms I! and I8 which may be secured to the ends of longitudinal sill members, not shown, forming structural elements of a car. Webs II, I2, I5 and I6, which are preferably integral, are integrally joined by a rear wall |9 which is substantially triangular in plan with its apex projecting in the longitudinal direction of arms I! and I8 and midway between the two.

Formed on the forward face of wall I9 adjacent 45 the outer ends thereof and medially in the vertical direction are a pair of spring seats of which one is shown at 29, Figures 1 and 3, these seats providing seating surfaces normal to the planes of arms I! and I8 and having centering bosses as at 2|.

A draft member 22 is in the form of a bar comprising a front wall 23 and top and bottom webs or flanges 24 and 25. The bar has rectilinear top and bottom front edges, the rear edges of webs or 5- flanges 24 and 25 being triangular so as to con- 1934, Serial No. 718,047

tact substantially throughout with the front or inner face of wall I9. Wall 23 is centrally rearwardly offset as at 26 in substantially concentric relation to aligned apertures 21 and 28 formed in webs 24 and 25, the offest wall portion 26 defining a pocket in which is received the shank 29 of a draft hook 3i). Webs II and I2 are provided with slots 3| and 32 extending in the longitudinal direction of arms I! and I8 and registering in part with apertures 21 and 28. A bolt 33 is passed through the slots and apertures and carries washers 34 and 35 externally of walls II and I2 and of such dimension as to close slots 3| and 32 In advance of the slots, webs II and I2 have formed thereon rectilinear flanges 36 and 31 in a common plane normal to the outer surfaces of arms I! and I8, these flanges being utilizable in securing the bracket to the car end wall, it being here assumed that the rear portion of the bracket is to be posltioned in a transverse slot formed in the end wall. 0 The relation of parts is such that upon the application of the draft tohook 30 bolt 33 can move forwardly to the ends of slots 3| and 32. Hook 39 has a heel portion supported on the offset web portion I4, so that the weight of the draft linkage 25 has no distortional effect on bar 22.

Bar 22, immediately in front of the spring seats as at 20, is provided with circular apertures 38 and the forward face of wall 23 is provided with arcuate ribs as at 39 at the sides of the apertures 30 in spaced relation to the edges thereof.

In front of the ends of bar 22 are buffer means 40 and 4| slidably supported between webs II and I2. The buffer means are here shown as comprising two separate heads, but it will be understood 35 that the use of buffer means in the form of a single bumper is contemplated under the invention, when preferred. Heads 40 and 4| are identical and a description of the latter, which is more completely shown, will suffice for both.

Head 4| comprises top and bottom walls 42 and 43 spaced apart for free sliding movements between bracket webs II and I2. Walls 42 and 43 are joined by side walls 44 and 45 to form a boxlike structure closed forwardly by an integral 45 bufiing face 46 which toward wall 44 is in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of walls 44 and 45 but is rounded toward both and with a rather gradual curve toward wall 45.

Walls 42 and 43 of the head 4| are provided with registering slots 41, 48 and 49, 50. Slots 4! and 48 may have parallel side walls as shown in Figure 2, while slots 49 and 50 are preferably enlarged at the forward ends toward wall 44 as particularly shown in Figure 1. Webs II and I2 wall.

ends of slots 3! and 32.

have registered apertures 5|, 52 and 53, 54 registering likewise, in part, with the slots in the buffer head and receiving pins 55 and 56.

Formed on the inner side of the face 46 and immediately opposite aperture 38 is a spring seat 51 parallel, in the position of parts shown, to the surface of seat 20. Seat 5'! is provided centrally with a centering boss 58 and outwardly of the latter with arcuate ribs 59. A spiral compression spring 60 bears with its ends against seats 20 and 51 to be centered thereon by bosses 2| and 58, the spring passing freely through an aperture 38. A further spiral compression spring 6| is arranged in concentric surrounding relation to spring 63 and with its ends bears against wall 23 of bar 22 and seat 51, being centered at its ends by ribs 39 and 59. The springs 5! normally hold the bar in the illustrated position, Figure 1.

As above stated, head 40 is exactly the same as head 4| and is mounted and associated with the bracket and draw bar and spring-influenced in exactly the same manner as head M, being in connection with the bracket by means of pins 62 and 63. It will be understood, however, that head 40 is the other side up, as compared to head 4|, to afford a symmetrical arrangement.

The assembly of the described parts is very simple. Draw bar 22 is first inserted to the position shown in Figure l, whereupon the draft hook is positioned therein and bolt 33 is dropped into place. Hereupon, the springs are placed in position and the heads 40 and ll inserted to position between webs II and E2, whereupon the retaining pins for the heads are dropped into place.

Upon the application of draft to hook 30, the draw bar may move outwardly of the bracket against the force of the springs as at 6|, the springs as at 60 being unaffected by reason of their free passage through the apertures in the Draft is thus transmitted through the springs as at El to the buffer heads and through the connecting pins for the latter to the bracket. Outward movement of the draw bar is limited through abutment of bolt 33 with the forward Under impact each head moves toward the draw bar against the force of both of the associated springs. The springs associated with each head are concentrically nested on axes symmetrical with respect to the heads, so that direct impacts on the flat buffer faces are transmitted without any distortional effect. In rounding cmves the heads may pivot on the inner pins 55 and 63, this being permitted by the shape of the outer slots as at 50, Figure 1.

It will be understood that various modifications may be made in the form and arrangement of parts and consequently I do not limit myself in these respects except in the following claims.

I claim:

1. Car draft and buffer gearing comprising supporting means, buffer means and a drawbar carried by said supporting means and movable relative thereto toward and away from each other, said buffer means being disposed outwardly of said drawbar and being constituted by separably movable heads spaced horizontally, said drawbar having end portions lying behind said heads, respectively, and provided with apertures, an upright wall inwardly of said drawbar fixed with respect to said supporting means and constituting an abutment for limiting inward movement of said drawbar relative to said supporting means, means for limiting outward movement of said buffer heads relative to said supporting means, opposed spring seats on said upright wall and the respective buffer heads aligned with said drawbar apertures, spiral compression springs of a size to pass freely through said apertures having their ends engaged with the opposed seats, and further spiral compression springs freely surrounding the first and having their ends seated, respectively, against said drawbar and said buffer means, said further springs serving to i drawbar normally against said wall g to transmit draft forces exclusive 3st springs, the springs of each set of springs serving to hold their associated head normally in outer limit position and rings of each set acting immediately to a 1'1: pulling shocks transmitted by their associated buffer head.

2. Car draft and buifer gearing comprising supporting means, buffer means and a drawbar carried by said supporting means and movable relative thereto toward and away from each other, said buifer means being disposed outwardly of said drawbar and being constituted by separably movable heads spaced horizontally, said drawbar having end portions lying behind said heads, respectively, and provided with apertures, an upright wall inwardly of said drawbar fixed with respect to said supporting means and constituting an abutment for limiting inward movement of said drawbar relative to said supporting means, means for limiting outward movement of said buffer heads relative to said supporting means, opposed spring seats on said upright wall and the respective buffer heads aligned with said drawbar apertures, spiral compression springs of a size to pass freely through said apertures having their ends engaged with the opposed seats, and further spiral compression springs freely surrounding the first and having their ends seated, respectively, against said drawbar and said buifer means, said further springs serving to hold said drawbar normally against said wall and serving to transmit draft forces exclusive of the first springs, the springs of each set of nested springs serving to hold their associated buffer head normally in outer limit position and both springs of each set acting immediately to absorb buifing shocks transmitted by their associated buifer head, the springs associated with each head being substantially coaxially disposed and exerting a symmetrical action on such head.

GLENN E. EDMUNDS. 

